To be shelterless and alone in the open country, hearing the wind moan and watching for day through the whole long weary night; to listen to the falling rain, and crouch for warmth beneath the lee of some old barn or rick, or in the hollow of a tree; are dismal things—but not so dismal as the wandering up and down where shelter is, and beds and sleepers are by thousands; a houseless rejected creature. - Charles Dickens I have seen this man many times in downtown Brooklyn. Most of the time, he is yelling words only he can understand. He screams loudly, wanders in circles, and has an empty vacant look in his eyes, unbeknownst to those of us who have not had to endure a life -or even a night- on the streets. Those who come across this man usually turn away, cross to the other side of the street, or pick up their pace so as to avoid an encounter. While he may indeed be dangerous or mentally ill, on this particular day, he seemed so peaceful bathed in sunlight while napping on a public bench. I desperately wanted to capture this image of him as a passive, calm, individual...to present him in a light in which we would not think of him as scary or crazy, and which is so different from the man I see on the street when he is awake.
I can not begin to imagine the life this man has had to endure and I pray for him and others in his situation, without shelter. My hope is that by capturing his image in this way, the viewer is able to perceive him in a different light, as someone worth helping, or talking to, as opposed to someone we run away from.
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